Embodiments of the invention relate to maintaining a database index. And more specifically, embodiments relate to techniques for maintaining a standby index for a standby database.
System architects and engineers often use multiple computer systems in a production environment in order to ensure the stability of business solutions. In such an environment, even if one computer system fails, the solution may fail over to the other computer systems. As an example, for a solution using a database, the environment may contain both a primary database system and a standby database system. In such an environment, the primary database may be replicated to the standby database system, such that if the primary database system fails, the standby database system contains an up-to-date copy of the database and can assume the workload of the primary database. Furthermore, in some environments, the standby database system may be used to perform certain functions similar to the primary database and certain functions completely different from the primary database. The standby database system may be configured to perform these functions even while the primary database system is operational, in order to alleviate some of the workload of the primary database system. As an example, the primary database may be used to manage day-to-day operations of a business, while the standby database may be used to run reports on how the business performs over a period of time.